The art of belly dance or “raks sharqi” as it is known in the Middle East is one of the oldest surviving dance forms in existence. It has ancient associations with pregnancy and childbirth, with family celebrations such as weddings and engagements and can be earthy, dramatic, joyful, or graceful. It is a dance style that transcends the generational divides and suits the female body at every stage of life. There are no boundaries to who can try belly dance. At Cinnamon Twist School of Belly Dance we attract women, kids and babies of all ages, all body shapes and sizes, and all cultural backgrounds.

Since belly dance was first introduced to the West in the late nineteenth century women and kids of all ages have been drawn to it. It continues to captivate us for a variety of reasons. Some try belly dancing for something new and different to do, others because it is their national dance, many enjoy the health and fitness benefits of the dance, or find belly dance is a great social outlet. Students often tell me they love the glamorous and feminine aspects of the dance; the jingly and noisy costumes, as well as the performance opportunities that arise through Cinnamon Twist School of Belly Dance. All of our students tell me that despite the various reasons they decided to take up belly dance in the first place, the reason they continue to come is for one simple reason – as Olivia, a 10 year old student at Cinnamon Twist puts it, “belly dancing is fun, fun, and more fun!”

In the last 10-15 years belly dance has seen a boom in popularity in the West and is now enjoyed by women and girls all over the globe. In particular, the younger generations are taking up belly dance by the droves. While the notion of pint size belly dancers floating and wiggling around dance studios all over the country may seem to be a new phenomenon, in fact belly dance has always been a family affair in the countries of its origin, with the youngest members of the family learning as soon as they can walk. In many of the countries where belly dance is part of the culture, the social aspect of learning to dance is an important part of growing up, especially of bonding with female members of the family.

Indeed my own daughter Pippa (now 19 months old) began belly dancing before she was even born. When I fell pregnant I continued to teach all my belly dance classes throughout my pregnancy right up until the week before I gave birth. Pippa’s transition from the womb to the studio dance floor has been an easy and enjoyable one for us both. Now she joins me in our Mummy and Me belly dance class and bops and sways to the same music she’d heard before she was born.

About Virginia. I was first introduced to belly dance in 1997 when I saw an amateur troupe of women belly dancing at a festival – their ages ranged from young girls to women in their 50s and 60s. I was absolutely mesmerised and fell in love with this dance immediately. I was fascinated by the fluidity and grace of the movements -- in one moment the dance had such an earthiness, was so grounded and strong and then it melted into a softness that seemed so light and feminine. To me their belly dance wasn’t flirty or frivolous; it was a demonstration of strength, of muscular control, of skill. It was a contradiction in motion: simple and complicated, heavy and light, understated yet so glamorous. My thought at the time was “my body could do that”. I was smitten. I went out and found myself a teacher the very next week and I have not looked back since. Almost 13 years on from that day I have made belly dancing my career, I opened Cinnamon Twist School of Belly Dance in 2005 which has grown to be the largest belly dance school in the Illawarra, I gained a PhD on the subject of belly dance and best of all I have the wonderful experience of coming to work every day to teach and share this dance that is so much a part of me. Cinnamon Twist started with just three belly dance classes for adults each week and now we cater to all ages including belly dance for kids in two age categories 4-8years and 9-14years, Prenatal belly dance, Arabic drumming, Indian Bollywood, and a Mummy and Me class that caters to mums with newborn to preschoolers.

Belly Dance for Kids Dance is a natural means of expression for children; they move their bodies with a sense of freedom that is often somehow lost along the way to adulthood. Ask any child if they can sing or dance and you will probably hear a resounding ‘Yes, of course!’ My philosophy about teaching belly dance to kids is that it need not be difficult for them. Each child is different and progresses at a different rate and this is ok. When it comes to children’s classes at Cinnamon Twist the team of teacher’s encourage a supportive and non-judgmental atmosphere with a focus on fun rather than on formal technique training. For most children, the experience of attending a dance class with a gentle and encouraging teacher can have a lasting positive impact that can take them well into their adult years and even stay with them for life. On the other hand, a negative experience in a dance class can have an equally lasting effect. Up until recently the first (and sometimes only option) for many mums was to enrol their children in ballet, jazz, or tap dance classes. However, if truth be told - these styles of dance are not always suitable for all girls. A mum once told me how she felt absolutely heartbroken when her shy 6 six year old daughter attended a ballet class and left sobbing when the teacher had told her she would never be a ballerina because she had ‘flat feet’ and ‘bad hips’. After enrolling her daughter in belly dancing classes she was thrilled when in the very first class her daughter beamed when she learned that “in belly dancing your feet stay flat on the floor” and your “hips have a life of their own!” It is this grounded nature of belly dance that makes it particularly accessible to kids and adults alike.

Benefits of Belly Dance

Fitness benefits – cardiovascular, muscular, energising

Learn teamwork, focus, and improvisational skills

Promotes good self-esteem

Low-impact, develops flexibility

Improved posture and muscle tone

Helps to strengthen pelvic floor muscles (a bonus for new mums!)

Improvement in gross/fine motor skills, improves co-ordination

Development of spatial awareness

Music appreciation and learning about other cultures

Today, kids and their mums have a rich variety of dance styles to choose from and belly dancing offers girls a wonderful opportunity to explore movement vocabularies totally different from Western styles they may have tried already.

When I was invited to write this article for CoastKids I decided to have a chat with our Little Genies, the girls in our 9-14 years age group. I asked them a number of questions about why they liked belly dancing and they gave a variety of reasons I was expecting to hear such as the opportunity to make friends, they liked the colourful and noisy dance costumes, and the interesting music. However, the girls also told me some things I was not expecting to hear about the way it makes them feel to dance creatively, to feel like part of a team, to enjoy the positive reactions of audiences when they performed. The responses of the girls showed a maturity and awareness about what it means to belly dance that took me by surprise.

What the kids have to say: Rachael(10yrs) – “I love cultural aspect of belly dance, it’s adventurous” Trina(9yrs) – “Belly dance gives me energy and its good exercise. I love my teacher; Kim is kind and tolerant and patient”Barbara(10yrs) – “I love meeting new people and learning new things,” “I like our Cinnamon Twist tops and what they represent” Claudia(12ys) – “meeting new people, learning new things, making friends”. “When everyone claps at the end of our performances it makes me feel really happy”. Georgia(9yrs) – “my mum is a belly dancer and I think it’s really cool. I feel proud to perform in my Cinnamon Twist shirt”.Lianna(10yrs) – “I like that belly dance is not competitive” and “I like it when people smile when I dance”.Madison(10yrs) – “I like to perform and the jingly costumes”Olivia(10yrs) – “I like it because I’m good at it. I’m destined for belly dancing!”

What the mums have to say:Julia- Since my daughter started belly dance lessons her self confidence has grown, along with her balance and coordination. Kim- I have noticed how [my daughter’s] confidence has grown, she is not as shy now and looks forward to Cinnamon Twist performances to show of all the fantastic things she has learned.Lisa- My daughter has a great time in class and looks forward to her lesson each week. When she gets home she dances around the house and shows her dad what she learned. Mary- Overall belly dance has been a fun, positive experience for my daughter. I would definitely recommend this to other parents.

Being part of a dance class is much more than just learning how to dance it also helps to instil valuable life lessons like working with others, moving in rhythm (physically and socially) with a group of their peers, and understanding and accepting the differences between each other. Belly dance introduces kids to music they may not hear anywhere else, a movement vocabulary that helps develop their fine and gross motor skill, and enables them to explore new forms of creative movement in a safe and warm environment. As one student commented, “in belly dancing class I can be myself”.